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Neotamias alpinus

(Merriam, 1893)

Alpine Chipmunk

G4Apparently Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102392
Element CodeAMAFB02010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusNeotamias
Synonyms
Tamias alpinus(Merriam, 1893)
Other Common Names
alpine chipmunk (EN)
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Taxonomic Comments
See Patterson and Norris (2016) for a revised classification of Marmotini (Sciuridae: Xerinae), based on Thorington et al. (2012), Ge et al. (2014), and Patterson and Norris (2016); the three chipmunk lineages should be recognized as three distinct genera, namely, Tamias Illiger, 1811, Eutamias Trouessart, 1880, and Neotamias A. H. Howell, 1929. Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) noted that chipmunks could be legitimately allocated to one (Tamias), two (Neotamias, Tamias), or three (Tamias, Neotamias, Eutamias) genera; they chose to adopt the single-genus (Tamias) arrangement.
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-11-05
Change Date1996-11-05
Range Extent Comments
Restricted to central high Sierra Nevada of California, Tuolumne County to Tulare County (Hoffmann et al., in Wilson and Reeder 1993). Elevations of 2300-3900 m; seldom below 2500 m. Abundance varies among sites; abundant to rare.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Talus slopes, cliffs, rocky borders of meadows and lakes, and rocky floor of open subalpine forest and alpine fell-fields in Hudsonian and Alpine-Arctic life zones (Ingles 1965). Probably dens among rocks or in burrows under rocks. Basically terrestrial, but sometimes climbs trees.

Reproduction

Gestation is believed to last about 1 month. Births occur in early summer. Litter size is apparently 4-5 (Sumner and Dixon 1953).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedAlpineBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS3Yes
Roadless Areas (4)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Hall Natural AreaInyo National Forest5,236
Horse Mdw.Inyo National Forest5,687
Log Cabin SaddlebagInyo National Forest15,165
Tioga LakeInyo National Forest829
References (30)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2024. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). Online. Available: www.mammaldiversity.org
  2. Baker, R. J., L. C. Bradley, R. D. Bradley, J. W. Dragoo, M. D. Engstrom, R. S. Hoffman, C. A. Jones, F. Reid, D. W. Rice, and C. Jones. 2003a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2003. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 229:1-23.
  3. Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp.
  4. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970a. Home ranges and territorial behavior of the yellow-pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamius amoenus.</i> Journal of Mammalogy 51:310-26.
  5. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970b. Populations of the yellow pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamias amoenus</i>. American Midland Naturalist 83:472-488.
  6. Brown, J. H. 1971. Mechanisms of competitive exclusion between two species of chipmunks. Ecology 52:305-311.
  7. Clawson, R. G., J. A. Clawson, and T. L. Best. 1994. Tamias alpinus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalan Species No. 461:1-6.
  8. Elliot, L. 1978. Social behavior and foraging ecology of the eastern chipmunk (<i>Tamias striatus</i>) in the Adirondack Mountains. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 265. 107 pp.
  9. Gashwiler, J. S. 1965. Longevity and home range of a Townsend chipmunk. Journal of Mammalogy 46:693.
  10. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  11. Ingles, L. G. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
  12. Jackson, H. H. 1961. Mammals of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 504 pp.
  13. Jameson, E. W., Jr. 1999. Host-ectoparasite relationships among North American chipmunks. Acta Theriologica 44:225-231.
  14. Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.
  15. Levenson, H., et al. 1985. Systematics of the Holarctic chipmunks (<i>Tamias</i>). J. Mammalogy 66:219-242.
  16. Moritz, C., J.L. Patton, C.J. Conroy, J.L. Parra, G.C. White, and S.R. Beissinger. 2008. Impact of a century of climate change on small-mammal communities in Yosemite National Park, USA. Science 322:261-264. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/322/5899/261.full
  17. Oxley, D. J., M. B. Fenton and G. R. Carmody. 1974. The effects of roads on populations of small mammals. Journal of Applied Ecology 11: 51-59.
  18. Patterson, B. D., and R. W. Norris. 2016. Towards a uniform nomenclature for ground squirrels: the status of the Holarctic chipmunks. Mammalia 80(3):241-251.
  19. Patton, J.L. 2013. Alpine Chipmunk Species Account in Interim Draft: Terrestrial Mammal Species of Special Concern in California, Part 2 - Species Accounts (Spencer, W.D., and J.A. Stallcup, editors). Report submitted to California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Branch, Nongame Wildlife Program for Contract No. P0880022. Nongame Wildlife Program Report.
  20. Piaggio, A. J., and G. S. Spicer. 2001. Molecular phylogeny of the chipmunks inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20:335-350.
  21. Roberts, D. R. 1962. Rodent movements in a cutover forest of the Sierra Nevada, California. Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley.
  22. Sheppard, D. 1972. Home ranges of chipmunks (<i>Eutamias</i>) in Alberta. Journal of Mammalogy 53:379- 380.
  23. Stewart, J.A.E., J.H. Thorne, M. Gogol-Prokurat, and S.D. Osborn. 2016. A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Twenty California Mammal Taxa. California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch. Nongame Wildlife Program 2016-12. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=135825&inline
  24. Storer, T. I., F. C. Evans, and F. G. Palmer. 1944. Some rodent populations in the Sierra Nevada of California. Ecological Monographs 14:166-192.
  25. Sumner, L., and J.S. Dixon. 1953. Birds and mammals of the Sierra Nevada. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  26. Sutton, D. A. 1992. Tamias amoenus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 390:1-8.
  27. Wadsworth, C. E. 1972. Observations of the Colorado chipmunk in southeastern Utah. Southwestern Naturalist 16:451-454.
  28. Williams, D.F. 1986. Mammal Species of Special Concern in California. State of California, Natural Resources Agency, Dept. of Fish and Game, Sacramento, CA. 107pp. https://sdmmp.com/upload/SDMMP_Repository/0/q432h7cwzp9dbsymx05jg1vrfnk68t.pdf
  29. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
  30. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]